Jo lives in a small town in southern Japan. She lives with her two children and Japanese husband and is learning more everyday about the world of Japanese agriculture and culture.

Saturday, March 01, 2014

Single handed

Yesterday I did a stupid thing. I put an axe into my hand.... oops! Unfortunately it went through my glove. Fortunately it stopped just before the bone - although it did leave the bone visible... apologies if you were eating while you were reading that! Fortunately the cut was not very wide and I am not very squeamish so I think I managed to wash it out well and have managed to keep it stabilised enough that it looks like it will fuse together without the need for a trip to the hospital. Unfortunately it means that I have very limited movement of my index finger on my left hand.... I am discovering just how much you actually need your index finger!

Today I had to participate in a Green Tourism "Slow Food" event. We all had to take two different dishes for at least 50 people to sample. There were then about 200 people who rushed in and scoffed up as much food as they could off 9 different groups tables in just over an hour. It was interesting to see what was popular and what was not. Anything containing meat disappeared in seconds, while pickles stayed around right till the end. I made my standard pumpkin muffins and some citrus cookies. Usually it wouldn't be too hard to make 60 muffins and 60 cookies, but with only one hand fully functioning it took a little more effort than normal! Fortunately they all disappeared really fast and I wasn't left trying to sneak them into the bin so people didn't notice that they weren't popular.

Here is my pumpkin muffin recipe for those who asked - sorry, I kept forgetting to post it. It is from Alison Holst's Marvellous Muffins book and uses New Zealand measurements (ie 1 cup = 250ml)

100g butter
2 eggs
1 cup cooked pumpkin, mashed. (I use butternut pumpkins - cut them into small pieces and microwave till soft then mash. When I have lots that need to be used up from the garden I make big batches and freeze in 1 cup quantities)

Measure the first 7 ingredients into a large bowl. Toss with a fork to combine thoroughly.
In another container, warm the butter until melted, add the eggs and beat well. Sir in the mashed pumpkin (I also add a bit of yoghurt... it seems to make them softer).
Combine the two mixtures and fold together without over mixing.

Pour into 12 greased medium muffin pans (or paper cups). I sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before baking. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and until they spring back when pressed in the centre. Cool on a cooling rack.
Note: the cooking time varies a lot so check them from about 10 minutes onwards.
If you don't have all the spices just add a bit extra cinnamon.